A Prayer With Holes

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –December 26, 2015

Shyamon Jayasinghe

We have reflected often on the vital need for an ongoing self-examination of the ideas and beliefs that we hold from time to time.The thought was inspired by Socrates’ exhortation to humanity to keep our ideas constantly under scrutiny and not buy them without taking a good look. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” said Socrates.

An illustration for this admonition is apt and I found a good one among my recent emails. This email was sent to me by a Christian friend but it could as well have been shared by any God-believing religionist. I thought we may take this up as a general illustrative case. I produce the piece sent by email with the advice that I should circulate the wisdom to all. Here it is:

“THE PRAYER THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD



When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good”, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.



We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.


We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.


We have killed our unborn and called it choice.


We have shot anti-abortionists and called it justifiable.


We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.


We have abused power and called it politics.


We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.


We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.


Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”



The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program,

“The Rest of the Story,” and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.

With the Lord’s help may this prayer sweep over our nation and whole-heartedly become our desire so that we again can be called: “one nation under God”

If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything.”                                                                 Read More   

Police and Politicians Obstructing Thajudeen Investigation

27/12/2015

A senior officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Ceylon Today that a group of high ranking officials of the Police Department as well as a group of politicians are trying to scuttle the investigations into the killing of popular ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen.

A senior police officer said that the reason for the obstructions is that the senior officials who held senior positions by 2012 are still holding those positions. He pointed out that those officials were misleading the investigations and preventing the perpetrators being arrested even now.

Former Director of the CID D.L.R. Ranaweera (now DIG Ampara) had submitted a progress report of the Thajudeen’s murder investigation but till today no action has been taken.

Rugger player Wasim Thajudeen was found dead in his vehicle which was on fire near Park Road, Narahenpita on 17 May 2012. Police claimed it was an accident. But on 10 December 2015, Colombo Judicial Medical Officer, Dr. Ajith Tennakoon, announced that it was a planned killing.

In this backdrop, the statement of the CID officer confirms that the department has not taken action, so far, to question either Senior Deputy Inspector General Anura Senanayake who in 2012 supervised the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) or former Judicial Medical Officer Prof. Ananda Samarasekara.

Colombo Additional Magistrate, NishanthaPeiris, ordered the CID on 10 December 2015, to record statements from these two officers. The Magistrate also ordered to file the report on the investigation on 20 January 2016, when the case will be called again.

A prominent politico
The CID has also not taken action to arrest Captain Tissa who was the driver of a prominent politico.

However, the Spokesman of the CID said that efforts would be taken to proceed with the investigations on the murder, despite these obstacles. According to the Police Media Spokesman, ASP Ruwan Gunasekera, DIG S.A.D.S. Gunawardena and other officers, who were in the service at the time of the murder of Thajudeen, were questioned by the CID.

Meanwhile, Army Commander Crishantha de Silva told Ceylon Today that one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena had been identified in the internal probe conducted by Army and he had been detained in a military camp in Jaffna.

However, media reports said that Captain Wimalasena is now trying to escape from Jaffna by sea. When inquired about these reports from Army Commander, he said that he would not hesitate to punish in case he tried to escape by sea or in any other manner. However, he said that he was not sure the person was the same one who was identified as Captain Tissa.

The Army Commander stated further: “You inquire about one Captain Tissa. But he must have a definite name. We conducted an internal investigation regarding Captain Tissa. We identified one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena. We are now taking action regarding him in terms of Army procedures.”When we inquired further from the Army Spokesman, he said that he could not provide more details without consulting the Ministry of Defence.

Army Media Spokesman, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, also told Ceylon Today that the Army had identified the above mentioned Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena in the internal probe regarding Captain Tissa.

“We have found that he had been the driver of a prominent politico. But we are not sure whether Captain Tissa about whom you are inquiring and Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena, is the same person,” he said.

As we reported last week, Captain Tissa had been the most trusted driver of the said politico.

The Army Media Spokesman said that the Army had extended maximum support to the CID to identify the suspects of the Thajudeen murder.

Captain Tissa or Wimalasena

However, the Army Spokesman further said that the CID had not informed the Army about Captain Tissa or Captain Wimalasena yet. “We cannot give more details about something the CID had not so far informed us of officially. We must say that Army has nothing to hide from the media,” Brigadier Jayaweera said.

However, we questioned the Army Spokesman if the Army was conducting an internal probe regarding Captain Tissa, whom the CID had identified as a suspect in the case of the murder of Thajudeen. His reply was that there was no such Captain Tissa but one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena in the Army.

A senior officer of the Police Headquarters said that Captain Tissa and Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena refer to the same person. He confirmed that the suspect’s name is Captain L.M. Tissa Wimalasena.

(Original Caption: Captain Tissa in Jaffna Army Camp)

By Niranjala Ariyawansha / Sunday Leader

Multi-faith remembrance ceremony held in remembrance of tsunami victims in Mullaitivu

26 December 2015

A multi-faith remembrance ceremony was held in Mullaitivu on Saturday to commemorate the lives lost in the Boxing Day tsunami 11 years ago.

Hundreds of people gathered at the St Peter Tsunami Memorial Church, where Muslim, Hindu and Christian prayers were held in memory of the lives lost.

The church in Mullaitivu was hit by the December 26 tsunami, which claimed the lives of 3,000 in the district alone.

Northern Provincial Council agriculture minister Ayngaranesan, deputy president Jayanthan and member Ravikaran were present at the proceedings.

The Season To Be Merry!

By Emil van der Poorten –December 27, 2015 

Emil van der Poorten

I have to admit the provocation for the (corny) title of this piece is the time of year and the need to take yet another look at the year just drawing to a close behind us.

By the time you read this, Santa would or would not have descended down your (metaphorical) chimney and placed gifts in abundance or the proverbial piece of coal (in our case an anguru kaella probably) at the foot of a metaphorical tree.

But what of the time between such an event last year and the one this year?

Let’s try to do a little summing up.

We went through the last days of 2014 with excitement in the air at the prospect of a very real chance to be rid of the first real dictator we had encountered in our modern history. We began the New Year by dumping the head of the most violent and corrupt government we had ever experienced.

However, the flurry of excitement that followed the January 8th overthrow of the Rajapaksa Regime has steadily evaporated with many indications that its replacement was seeking to live up to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s pithy condemnation of the parties to the “right” of it – Unuth Ekai, Munuth ekai,” six of one, half a dozen of another.

If one were to understand the local (English-language) media, Sri Lanka had become one big barbecue: all kinds of prominent members of the recently-dissolved royal court were being “grilled” here, there and everywhere particularly by a newly-established tribunal established under the aegis of the Police department. One was entertained – if that is the word – by veritable legions of the “important” of yesterday being escorted into these places in which justice was allegedly to be dispensed. What distinguished these from the “common or garden” variety of (alleged) criminal was the fact that the latter invariably sought to avoid being recognized by the video or still camera and, therefore, the wider public, by covering their faces with whatever was most easily and quickly available: a hand, an arm or a handkerchief.                 Read More

Danger lurks ! Good governance president enters Guinness book by shouldering criminal militarization !!

(Lanka-e-News -27.Dec.2015, 11.30PM) It is a well and widely known fact that president Maithripala Sirisena who is now the defense secreatary cum commander in chief  of the three forces ,during the last two elections made loud and proud announcements on election platforms that all those responsible for unlawful murders during the Rajapakse criminal era would be brought before the law duly. Now  however , we are reluctantly constrained to reveal a most diametrically opposed deplorable, despicable stance of his which certainly will be detested by the whole country and will  earn the bitter displeasure of the people  that  despite being the president of the country and the chief of the commanding forces , he is taking measures which are in favor of the members of the army who committed ruthless cold blooded murders on behalf of the murderous Rajapakses , thereby creating a stigmatic record that deserves a place in the Guiness book of  igominious records of brutal leaders who betrayed the country wholesale after winning elections on grandiose promises.

One such  most regrettable and disdainable move of his is: the legal division of the army appearing officially in court on behalf  of the criminals (the army officers) serving in the  Girithale army camp who abducted journalist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda and committed the murder. Besides , legal aid is being provided on behalf of these criminals. 

Recently , when this case was heard in the Homagama court , the State counsel himself pointed  this out  with grave concern.

The state counsel Dileep Peiris addressing court stated thus:
''The DIG of the north Vaas Gunawardena was taken into custody, and the case was heard, but nobody as a  lawyer appeared on behalf of the  police department . There are other cases too like this. No Institution reckons that it is an issue of the Institution and hence its lawyers should defend when a member of its staff is taken into custody over a crime committed.  It is very unfortunate that the army is engaging in this type of action in this case. ‘On the other hand , I deem it a great honor to  appear against the army criminals who use their official position and their social patriotic opinions to commit crimes,'' Dileep Peiris emphasized. 

Previously too , courts of Sri Lanka had heard other  controversial cases of murders committed by the army.The murder of beauty queen Manamperi taking advantage of  the 1971 insurrection  ; the murder of Embilipitiya students during the 1988-89 insurgency ; killing of Chrishanthi Coomaraswamy exploiting the northern war; mass murder at Mirisuvil and others were some . These cases were heard against the army officers, and punishment meted out. In all those cases , no matter what ranks the army criminals belonged , no legal aid  was provided to them officially .

The Mirisuvil case was filed during the tenure of office of ex president Chandrika Bandaranaike ,and even though it was fully heard and concluded during the murderous Rajapakse extremely militarized regime , the army did not provide legal aid or lawyers to appear in court on behalf of the army wrongdoers.

In the circumstances , president Maithripala Sirisena as defense  minister cum commander in chief of the armed forces has no moral or legal right to use the legal division of the army  under him to appear on behalf of the army criminals in court . Besides , he has most shamelessly and dishonorably broken the solemn promises he gave to the nation when seeking to  become  the president, and made a wholesale betrayal of the trust the people reposed in him.This is the first time such a criminal move had been made  by a president . If he has any need to enter the Guiness book of records by being the ‘first’, surely there are better ways to do so- certainly not through the Guinness book of ignominious  records  to the detriment of the nation ! 

Mind you , such diplomatic blunder will certainly not be committed by an individual with 40 years experience in State administration or even an infant.

Be that as it may.
When an  Inland revenue department is there to collect national revenue for the government,  a group led by its Commissioner deprived  the government of its revenue in billions through a VAT fraud. Case was heard and the Commissioner who was a  most high ranking officer of the government was punished with a jail sentence. Mind you , though the Inland revenue department was equipped with a top flight legal division , the lawyers of that division did not appear on behalf of its criminal Commissioner in court. 

The Forces are there to safeguard the country and its people from the enemies.They have a right to annihilate the enemies, but certainly they do not have the right to abuse that power and murder a civilian . What the army officers did in the calculated abduction and cold blooded murder of journalist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda, a civilian is much worse than the crime of Vat Fraud committed by the Commissioner of Inland revenue, because this is a cold blooded murder -  a most precious human life is involved. In these circumstances no government department or Institution comes forward on behalf of the criminal on the same lines as in  the Inland revenue case mentioned hereinbefore.

Yet , it is most unfortunate , the highest in the hierarchy of the country ,  president Maithripala Sirisena , the defense minister cum commander in chief of the forces has taken upon himself the task of  transgressing the State ‘s fundamental administrative  ethical code. 

The deputy defense minister post  is held by the UNP which is the other partner  of the present government , and therefore are jointly responsible for this deplorable and abominable action. Neverthless even to report about Ruwan Jayawardena the deputy defense minister  is unavailing. Sadly he is not worth his salt.Though Jaffna was rescued from the terrorists by a  deputy defense minister , Ruwan Wijewardena the present defense minister has completely disclaimed his responsibilities thereafter.   

This was best illustrated by his conduct in connection with this recent record breaking budget debate, he is the one who created a disgraceful scenario by not uttering   a word on behalf of the budget. On the occasions  when the defense Minister  president Maithripala was not present in Parliament during the budget debate , it is the deputy defense minsiter who ought to be present to answer questions in parliament , but Ruwan Wijewardena came to parliament always late daily.His late arrival was chronic. Moreover , he left parliament earlier than scheduled. In short , he did not know how the parliament begins or ends. During the last budget sessions , he gave only one or two answers , and did not ask a time  allocation  for   a speech. Hence , to question such a joker on his lapses is itself  a jocular affair, because he is an ignoramus. 

In conclusion , one fact has to be underlined, the army providing legal aid , and its legal division appearing in court officially on behalf of the army criminals is a most serious issue, because this is not going to end here and now. The leaders of civil organizations and the intelligentsia instead of battling on  trivial issues such as saving   a few rupees , must instead focus their attention on this serious  issue which holds grave portents to all law abiding citizens. They must rise against this .
 

---------------------------
by     (2015-12-27 20:01:06)

Sri Lanka’s delicate dance with China

Leslie Shaffer-Wednesday, 23 Dec 2015

Sri Lanka is sticking with a close relationship with China even as the island-nation attempts to "reinterpret" its extensive and sometimes poorly managed deals with the mainland, Ravi Karunanayake, Sri Lanka's Finance Minister, told CNBC.

"We have a very close relationship between government to government. It's the government to business (relationship) that the (Mahinda) Rajapakse regime certainly messed up in the sense that it went well beyond what was there," Karunanayake said in an exclusive interview.

In August, the United National Party defeated former president Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) party in parliamentary elections, meaning Rajapakse would not be forming the new government. In January, the current president, Mithripala Sirisensa, also of the UPFA party, ousted his one-time mentor Rajapaksa.

During Rajapakse's decade-long tenure, he encouraged Chinese infrastructure investment in the country, with many of those deals and contracts now coming under scrutiny and potential cancellation amid allegations of corruption.

"We have a friendly persuasion (with China). All we want to do is correct the ingovernance (sic). That's what China is doing. That's what Maithripala Sirisena government is doing," Karunanayake said. "It's a reinterpretation of how clean government should be."

Earlier this month, the government said Chinese deals worth billions of dollars would proceed after nearly a year of delays as the contracts remain binding even though there was no competitive bidding and some projects weren't well conceived, Reuters reported.

But the new administration has broken with its predecessor's China-focused tendency and is now pursuing business with other countries as well.

"Certainly, China is a great player. India is as big. You have European Union, U.S., Japan, Korea, all were left out. But all of them can come in," Karunanayake said. "What we want to do is the Sri Lanka economy which was made to look small will be made open. And integrate with the world."

The "reinterpretation" of those contracts may be essential to government finances -- Reuters reported that Sri Lanka owes more than $5 billion to Chinese lenders.

Overall, Sri Lanka's new government has inherited more than $25 billion in debt to offshore creditors, or around a third of gross domestic product (GDP), noted Mark Mobius, executive chairman at Templeton Emerging Markets, in a blog post earlier this month.

"Interest payments are estimated to consume about 40 percent of government revenue, a real problem when the Sri Lankan rupee has devaluated in recent years by as much as 20 percent," he said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also has some concerns about government finances.

"Deterioration in the overall balance of payments, the loss of central bank foreign exchange reserves, the weak state of public finances, and growing public debt are reasons for concern," the IMF said in a note earlier this month, although it added that the current account deficit may narrow due to lower oil prices.

The IMF advised comprehensive reforms, including fiscal consolidation to put the government's finances on a more sustainable footing.

Sri Lanka's government appears to be taking note.

Karunanayake said the government is aiming for a budget deficit of 5.8-5.9 percent of GDP in 2016, after inheriting 7.1-7.2 percent budget deficit.

"For the first time, we are fixing our recurrent expenditure," he said. "This has never happened for the past 15 years. So you could see that financial discipline coming in."

—By CNBC.Com's Leslie Shaffer; Follow her on Twitter @LeslieShaffer1

Port City will add green area nine times as big as Galle Face to the city

New Environmental Impact Assessment outlines details

December 26, 2015, 3:54 pm 
The Colombo Port City will add a new green area of approximately 45 ha, nine times the size of the Galle Face Green which is five ha. in extent, Chin Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd., the developer said last week.

Port City Will Add Green Area Nine Times as Big as Galle Face to the City by Thavam Ratna

Recalling a nightmare

2015-12-26
Tsunami survivors and the family members of the victims are seen offering flowers as they pray at a graveyard to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Peraliya today. Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries of the 9.1 magnitude quake with around 45,000 deaths. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana 
Ampara- Wasantha Chandrapala

Beat Cost Of Living During The Festive Season

By Sarath Wijesinghe –December 27, 2015

Sarath Wijesinghe

Festive season has emerged and the citizen is testing the buying power in purchasing the consumer items for festive season. Consumer is any actual or potential user of any goods or services made available for a consideration by any trader or manufacturer. (s75 of the consumer affairs Authority Act) This shows that every citizen is a consumer and need protection from the state to protect the consumer against unfair trade, hazardous to life and property of consumers, adequate access to gods, and seek redress against unfair trade practices (s 7 of the Act no of 2003).

Is Consumer the King – and Powerful

In theory yes. But in practice it may not be so, especially in Sri Lanka where the consumer is not organized as in other parts of the world. Consumer day falls on 15th March and the world Consumer Federation has started the agitation throughout the world claiming the legitimate share for the consumer as Kennedy’s statement in 1983 that – the consumer includes us all – “the largest economic group affecting and affected by almost all public and private economic decision yet they are the only important group whose views are often not heard”. In other parts of the world consumer is restricted from becoming unfair by the government as well as strong lobbing of the powerful organizations in maintaining the quality, standards, price and consumer rights of return goods, and maintain standards by the trade, manufacturer and the trader. Sri Lanka is full of adulterated and poisonous food and other consumer goods, unhealthy food chains and goods adulterated and downgraded with no restrictive conditions. Unhealthy food chains are thriving and there is no proper control of the quality and price of the consumer items expected to be monitored by the main regulate Consumer Affairs Authority.

Powers of the Consumer Affairs Authority as the Main Regulator

It is established in place of Fair Trading Consumer Act no 1 of 1987 and price control act 1 of 1987 for promotion of effective competition and protection of the consumer with a blend of UK, Australian and West modelled concepts creating a main regulator to regulate trade under s 9 of the act, which has power to undertake studies, issue directions, restrict selling above market price, determining standards, inquire complaints, enter into agreements, deal with offences such as refusal to sell, hoarding goods, investigations publication, prevent misleading , deceptive conduct and many more powers and expectations. Due to the abolition of the price control under the price control act, the new concept of price making was introduces where every trade is expected to exhibit the price mark and maintain standards of the items. (S29) It is left to the consumer to judge the effectiveness of the enforcement mechanism in maintaining the price and the standards of the consumer items. Is the CAA competent to beat the cost of living or it is teeth less organization is a matter the citizen will be deciding based on the performances of the organization.                     Read More 

President’s war against polythene and tobacco

Monday, 28 December 2015

President Maithripala Sirisena has declared war against two products. In speeches in Parliament as well as outside, he has proclaimed that both these products would be banned beginning from 2016. One of the products to be banned is polythene. The other is tobacco. Both are goods from a personal consumption point, because people are willing to spend money to have them. However, they have been accused of delivering bad effects to society over many years when viewed from a social point. The cry for banning them has come from those who hold this latter view.

President’s War Against Polythene and Tobacco by Thavam Ratna

Year 2015 ends in a whimper

Glumness in Lanka; unease in the world 

by Kumar David-December 26, 2015

Though 2015 started off on a felicitous note which continued into the middle of the year – trouncing Rajapaksa in January and again in August, an agreement on war-crimes investigations, Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader and global economic easing though not recovery, and snippets of good news towards year’s end such as Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory – eventually 2015 ended on a despondent note. Unease stalks America and Europe; the global economy, by and large is stalling. At home the government is directionless in that it has no coherent economic strategy and seems to have given up the fight for good governance. It is reasonable to fear that the Ranil-Sirisena (R&S) Administration is blocking exposure and prosecution of Rajapaksa-era financial blackguards and members of the Rajapaksa-clan accused of homicide.

It is worrisome when lame-duck columnists (e.g. Daily News of 9 Dec.) assure us that all is well with the Thajudeen murder investigations. Amazingly, despite the evidence that that article itself adverts to (e.g. "CID has recovered CCTV footage of Thajudeen’s killing and some VIP sons appeared in the video") the writer is oblivious to the contradiction that no arrests have been made nor charges filed. If the R&S Administration is stalling investigation of Rajapaksa regime crimes, it is but a short step to government high-ups becoming corrupt themselves. This is the reason for public glumness.

Three acts of this government have stoked anxiety: (a) the Central Bank bond scandal on which I will say no more since all details are in the public domain; (c) the Avant Garde controversy too is much in the public domain and there is nothing I can add; (c) President Sirisena appointed his brother Kumarasinghe to the Chairmanship of SLT within days of his election followed by worse appointments to SLT and Mobitel. Now there are allegations that a multi-million dollar scam to offload Hutch on Mobitel is in the works ("Exposé: President Sirisena in thick of multi-billion kick-back scandal", Colombo Telegraph, November 21). There is a lot of trivial dirty linen washing in the media that you can ignore unless time hangs heavy on your hands. (Did the President’s daughter visit state agencies in Polonnaruwa? If so who the hell cares except jobless journalists. Did doting papa take son to the UN? Tut, tut!)

Item (c) is not as well known and I invite those interested in good-governance to follow up. What is being alleged is that telecom operator Hutch is in the doldrums but has no takers; Dialog, the country’s largest, does not want it. If this true, SLT through wholly owned subsidiary Mobitel can dictate price. CT claims that "experts in the industry" say that Hutch cannot fetch even $60 million in the market but Kumarsinghe Sirisena wants to purchase it for $130 million. The overpayment will be out of public (Mobitel) coffers and it is implied that Kumarasinghe will get a kick-back. The further insinuation is that President will be a beneficiary. I am not suggesting that any of this is true, but am concerned that a refutation has not been issued and no inquiry made to dispel lingering doubts in the public mind. With memory of Rajapaksa days still fresh and bearing in mind that Sirisena was a Cabinet Minister in that den of thieves for nine long years, a firm rebuttal and follow up action is necessary.

After the Daesh attacks

Despondency is high in Europe and America about terrorism. People know that the military campaign will not succeed if it is limited to airpower; they also know Western ground troops if sent in will be trapped in a quagmire from which they will never escape (remember Iraq after Bush, Afghanistan for 12 years). The public in the West also knows that locals in Iraq and Syria won’t pull chestnuts out of the fire just to please the West. The clans and tribes in the region will not put their hearts into it unless a political solution is agreed and socio-economic rebuilding is in progresses. Daesh is a proto state with three to five million people under its control and a functional economy. It runs an administration, schools, clinics, hospitals, courts, law enforcement and economic agencies. Recruitment now is mostly not by ideologues approaching targets to persuade them to join the cause; a larger number now are ‘self-recruits’ enraged by events in the Middle East or ‘self-persuaded’ on-line converts. A friend estimated that about one in seven adult Muslims worldwide sympathise with the cause even if not the methods. None of this will go away because of bombs, better intelligence or anti-jihadist education campaigns that liberals swear by. Only practical changes to improve the lives of the poor and the homeless in the Middle East, and the humiliated and unemployed in Western ghettoes can make a difference.

A purely military strategy will fail; if the root causes are destruction of nations, misery and poverty, then cart before the horse bombs are doomed. American and Europeans know also know that their governments cannot make the paradigm shift to another way of doing things. I believe that to "solve" the crisis in the Middle East, first governments in the West have to be changed. A tall order; so you will call me a dreamer? OK, but in five years you will have this same war going on in one way or another. Jeremy Corbyn lost heavily in the Commons debate; about 60 Labour MPs broke ranks and voted with David Cameroon to bomb Syria. But Corbyn will have the last laugh; within months as bombing proves pointless, public opinion will swing his way. In 2020 this will be a Corbyn asset in the UK elections. Will Corbyn-type governments in Western countries have better prospects of coaxing out a political solution and getting socio-economic reconstruction on track in these war wracked countries? Maybe, but if not what else can the West do and how else can it forestall an apocalyptic war of civilisations?

Before commenting on the swing to the loony fringe in parts of Europe and much of America there is a point about the David Cameron Conservatives that justifies emphasis. This government is more centrist than Thatcher’s neo-right and Teflon Blair’s fake-Labour. Yes, that’s right; Blairite Labour was well to the right of Cameron Tories. The way Cameron-Osborne swung from austerity to easing cuts when the economy recovered is remarkable. Osborne in an interview with Charlie Rose called the government progressive-Conservatism, an oxymoron like Ranil’s social-capitalism, but in the UK there is some content to the re-branding.

Europe is suffering from political schizophrenia. Spain, Portugal, Greece despite Tsipras, and the UK by heady endorsement of Corbyn as Labour Party leader, are moving in one direction though UKIP is a worry. Parts of the Continent are going elsewhere! A right’s poll in the 2014 European Parliament elections: Marine Le Penn’s Front National FN (22%), Britain’s UKIP (24%), Austrian Freedom Party (23%), Danish People’s Party (19%) and Dutch Freedom Party (18%). In Eastern Europe, more obnoxious primitive governments are in office, for example Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The North-East is France’s industrial heartland, the traditional working class stronghold of the socialist and in days of yore, the powerful French Communists. What happened in regional elections? The 6 December first round is more important than the 13 December runoff when everybody ganged up to defeat FN in all 13 Regions (the Socialists withdrew their candidates from two Regions to help the Republicans to win). The first round poll makes one exclaim: "My god is the French working class lost to the fascists! Two comments are typical of what’s on the web: "God bless the French, they’ve come to their senses. Leftists destroy Western civilization by design such as Obama or through ineptitude like Hollande and Merkel" and "The French voted for the NF because they want border controls and no more Muslims".

Think of that clownish, boor Trump stirring up hatred and the other semi-literate Republican Presidential candidates denigrating everyone from immigrants to women to radicals. Then despair at what will become of America if a Republican wins the White House! The world is looking like the 1930s; pity many in Lanka do not see that this will change their lives too.

President halts Ravi’s Rs 300 M bonanza to Nihal Sri

2015-12-27
A Cabinet Paper forwarded by Minister of Finance, Ravi Karunanayake, seeking Cabinet approval to compensate an individual, paying Rs 300 million from government coffers was put on hold by President Maithripala Sirisena during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (23).

This Cabinet Paper which sought paying Rs 300 million to Professional Consultant Nihal Sri Ameresekere seeking an amicable settlement over the long-drawn Hotel Developers Lanka Ltd. case, popularly referred to as the Colombo Hilton case, not only raised many eyebrows of Karunanayake's Cabinet colleagues but utterly provoked Minister Kabir Hashim.

President Halts Ravi’s Rs 300 M Bonanza to Nihal Sri by Thavam Ratna

Polonnaruwa born 65 years old Maithripala Sirisena employs Royal Cosmetic Expert to enhance his looks !

(Lanka-e-News -23.Dec.2015, 7.00AM) President Maithripala Sirisena with a view to boost  his cosmetic appearance  has given a permanent government job  to a Royal beautician  , and he is paid a salary plus  perks out of public funds  , according to Lanka e news  inside information division of Presidential security .

This individual by the name of ‘Hiruna Anuradha ‘ ( photographs herein) , the Royal cosmetic expert  will be travelling with the president during his overseas  tours too.

In 1994 , when Chandrika Kumaratunge was appointed as the president of the country ,she was 50 years old at that time. Despite being a lady  president of the country and relatively  young , she never employed a permanent Royal beautician  for her beauty enhancement nor did she take a beautician  abroad for cosmetic enhancement.

It is worthy of note that both the parents of Chandrika were prime ministers of Sri Lanka (SL) , and Chandrika was born in Colombo . Moreover she was married to a popular actor. Yet she attended to her cosmetic enhancement herself . Therefore when 65 years old Maithripala Sirisena , the villager from Polonnaruwa born to Nandawathie and Albert ,and accustomed to   primitive natural surroundings, after becoming president , is seeking a permanent cosmetic expert  to enhance his looks, has made the entire nation to reel with unstoppable laughter .

Maithri after make up goes missing in the night !

Meanwhile the presidential security Lanka e news inside information division revealed that after Maithripala Sirisena dons his  make up enlisting  his Royal cosmetic expert , in the nights Maithripala  goes missing.  He is the most elusive Prince charming. 

During the president’s  nocturnal jaunts he was warned several times , that the one who is accompanying  him is  a Rajapakse  spy . Yet  without dismissing him from the service , he is still having him close as a chief of the presidential securty . He is none other than  senior  DIG S.M. Wickremesinghe , the son of Polonnaruwa Govi raja , presidential security Lanka e news inside information sources disclosed.

Even the members of the family of president Maithripala are accusing ‘ this Wickremesinghe is destroying our family.’ No matter what , the presidential security division had issued dire warnings to Maithripala against his nocturnal escapades  , but Maithripala is heedless, it is learnt .  The forbidden fruit is always tastier.
After the present IGP Ilangakoon goes on retirement it is this Wickremesinghe the ‘helup karaya’  of Maithripala Sirisena during his nocturnal gallivanting , who is to be made the IGP
 

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by     (2015-12-23 02:20:58)